¸¸.•´°¤ Things are finally taking shape! Til' night time.. LOL¸¸.•´°¤

I am 5"4 and 210.. I have two children,my...

6 Aug 2011

4 months pre

I am 5"4 and 210.. I have two children,my daughter is four and my son is nine.Currently in school full time and studying is my life.I can't fully blame the changes in my body on pregnancy.However it gave me a super pannus that I can't stand and some super huge tata's!! I'm a 40 H and they're severely ptotic..(What is a strapless bra?) :0/

I had my consultation on June 27th,2011 and I was super nervous! After much talk I planned a December date because I'd have a substantial amount of time to rest during my Winter Break from school. I later added an On'Q on my surgery notes to hopefully get real rest..lol

I have been battling weight all my life pretty much. 180-190pds. seems to be a reasonable weight range for me to maintain. I topped the scale at 252pds. a year and a half ago,this is my highest weight EVER. I lost 42 pounds and still working on losing more before my surgery day.

My family is so supportive of why I am choosing to do it because they have witnessed the shenanigans first hand. They are ready for a smile. So they know this will be a big deal for me and excited as well.I have a boyfriend who I've been with for 10 years. He's very supportive of my decision as well and it truly makes a difference. I told him this surgery is for him too..kinda like, uh,..a bonus or something.

The opportunity to feel as if my inside is matching my outside is a priceless feeling.Like many others,I'm tired of wearing armor to look halfway decent in clothes. They're extremely uncomfortable and only smashed my imperfections not contoured them.

I seen some inspiring reviews on here!! This surgery has been something that I've been wanting for YEARS. I just made up my mind said "I'm just fat and that's all,just except it,the rolls too." ,but now I have the chance to go for it..it has become real and I'm feeling blessed.

December is long away but I will utilize this time to condition myself for it.I'll post picture soon.. that's another emotional thing I have to overcome. :0P

¸¸.•´°¤ SO.. my surgery is in exactly 3...

4 Sep 2011

3 months pre

¸¸.•´°¤ SO.. my surgery is in exactly 3 months, 1 week, and 2 days! Very excited! I have a ton of school stuff going on nowadays so I know this will help with time. I am a studying somebody,I tell ya!!

The weather seems to be cooling off a bit around my side of town. Great news for me.. I hate the summer.Not the weather itself,trying to dress for it is the problem! I don't think I've ever truly owned summer clothes...since I was a little girl that is. Summer seems to be difficult for me for a number of reasons:

1. I hardly find anything "I feel" is made for my body type.

2. I'm forced to expose all my insecurities.

3. Having to combing through clothing stores to find cut stuff without butterflies,glitter,and weird subliminal designs! Or strangely constructed stuff with no shape to flatter ANYONE.O_o

I can go on forever 'bout that.

So bring on cold weather! I know I will change my tune after my surgery,but as of now..yeah that's how I feel about that. I'm in desperate need of some clothes in general though. Don't wanna go all out buying clothes right now since I'm still losing pounds and will have a new overall look later on.What to do,what to do...

Anyway,that's all for now.¸¸.•´°¤

¸¸.•´°¤ I have question,really.
Does...

21 Sep 2011

3 months pre

¸¸.•´°¤ I have question,really.

Does anyone know of a shopping list or a plastic surgery recovery list that I could get my hands on? I want to start accumulating some things and would like a strong list of what I should have on hand! Any help will work ladies! :0) ¸¸.•´°¤

Sooooo,.. I finally went ahead and posted pre-op...

26 Sep 2011

3 months pre

Sooooo,.. I finally went ahead and posted pre-op pics. I debated over this shit for, I don't know,how long? I knew posting my pictures would bring me closer to self acceptance,which I've battled for years, and I feel that this is an important step in my journey... I don't want to cut NO corners through this process.This was some anxiety for that ASS I tell you!(Very terrifying to look at.mmkay?)However, I must admit,I feel empowered by this...! I'm taking strides.

¸¸.•´°¤ I'm doing pretty damn good! NOT. I...

28 Oct 2011

2 months pre

¸¸.•´°¤ I'm doing pretty damn good! NOT. I have NO time to think about the surgery at all.. I'm constantly thinking about due dates for class assignments. You know how that is..when you aint looking forward to something, it comes fast as hell..but when you want something to hurry and arrive it takes forever? Well shit,time is turbo right now because I have tasks to do comin out my ass...meanwhile surgery date is creepin'!

ANYWAY,when I DO have a moment to think surgery I smile so hard.. :) I've lost 10pds. and been pretty stable. I think my body wont let me lose anymore probably from stress n' shit.smh idk I am awaiting December for a vacation from school and makeover included. HOLLA!

Hugz n' kisses to all my misses,

-Boogie ;)

¸¸.•´°¤ Ok,so I decided changed my surgery...

12 Nov 2011

1 month pre

¸¸.•´°¤ Ok,so I decided changed my surgery plan to stage my procedure! I decided to get lipo on my hip/flanks and bra-line with my Tummy Tuck. I will get my breast reduction a little later on. My insurance will pay for it so I'm gonna save on the cash.

Anyway, I've been doing quite a bit of research on many other surgeons and there has been a few who said they've done a breast reduction in similar cases like mine who DIDN'T need to have a free nipple graft. They also added that the free nipple graft procedure is out dated in their opinion and isn't necessary. Having that said, I am a bit unsure to whether it is a good idea to just give in to the procedure with no hopes of having any sensation at all. I do understand that surgery planning is primarily judgement calls on both ends,so I'm going to wait til' I am completely sure.These are my girls and the do work great,I just like the way they look! LOL! So, I'm going to research this more and focus on my immediate concern which is my stomach and my back boobies(bra-line fat).:oP

Hopefully I will come to a conclusion soon,but now isn't the time to address it.I will get the BR... JUST NOT NOW. :¸¸.•´°¤.

¸¸.•´°¤. I went to my pre-op appointment...

22 Nov 2011

22 days pre

¸¸.•´°¤. I went to my pre-op appointment today! I was very nervous...smh. It has officially become even more realer(if thats a word,HAHA) than it was before. He had to take a quick look at my body and see what's up..since it has been a good while since the consultation.

His plan is to give me a smoother transition in my contour. Being that I AINT a petite women, we came to an agreement that a Panniculectomy is what will be performed...some lipo on my bra-line,sides,and top of my ass as well! Yessir! I told him that my butt looks stupid and he said he'll try to fix it. lol! smh

Gave me my do's and don't and a prescription for my meds..."yada yada yada"...

Honestly...like,.. I'm not looking to be the most smallest thing in the world.Know what I mean? I know that genetically I can't be built a certain way..I can only be the best ME.As an African American woman,I truly embrace being curvacious and thick! It is indeed unhealthy in the eyes of many and I agree that it is too! AND SO ARE MANY OTHER THINGS PEOPLE DO AS WELL!( I keep my opinions to myself though);o)

In short, an improvement in my body is what I am seeking.I have to say my PS is so awesome! He has a sincere way of giving you a reality of what can or can't be obtained as a goal. I am super glad I followed my mind and choose him. I trust his opinion and what he has to offer me.. forreal!

ANYHOW,it is set! I will be going in on Dec. 14th at 12:00 pm! Keep in your prayers as for everyone stays in mine.. ;)

-Boog ¸¸.•´°¤.

¸¸.•´°¤ I've read some forums and posts and...

25 Nov 2011

19 days pre

¸¸.•´°¤ I've read some forums and posts and it seems that many are concerned in what to tell their children about why they had their surgery. At certain ages it wouldn't be necessary to explain this.However,some kids are old enough to understand.Times are changing and we must be first to tell our children what's up before someone else does..and it may not be the right way when they tell it.

Noone wants to feel they are teaching their children that "If you don't like yourself,go to a PS." I think it is a WONDERFUL thing that the Lord has blessed the hands of many to be able to fix imperfections and heal the ill! Like many other good things,they can also be misused and abused. As long as they understand that things that are a help should in fact not be depended on,they will remain grounded in anything they encounter..You have given them a important tool to use in life already. My personal strategy is inform my son of why I did it,and how he or his sister can try to avoid it by making better choices right now. Personal experience is good insight for your kiddos.

We all wanna look better in a dress,but we all wanna try to regain contentment we feel we were robbed of. Right? Right!:)Vanity isn't important but feeling like a women is! I am worth investing in no matter what anybody says.. if you are happy and comfortable with yourself,your children will learn from this and whoever you share your life with intimate,or not, will find you pleasant!! You will also radiate positivity! Real talk! Being discontent can cost loads of money! I say this because when you are unhappy,you spend money on senseless things,or on everybody else.That can NEVER make you absolutely happy..it will last for a second til you realize you put yourself last ALL the time.You will be broke until you realize this!

I'm not into completely altering who YOU are and what makes you unique and different,but I am all for being the best you! If rejuvenating yourself was a bad idea,there wouldn't be so many women (or men) liberated afterwards! So if you feel selfish or unsure about it all you stop it now! Go for it with great intentions and the Lord with take care of you,your children, and all the rest!

-Boog xoxo¸¸.•´°¤

¸¸.•´°¤ Okay so it is December 6th and I am...

7 Dec 2011

7 days pre

¸¸.•´°¤ Okay so it is December 6th and I am like "OMG...." Today I have a Written and Lab final and guess who had barely any sleep...? Between my finals and surgery I am an insomniac! The weather has be terrible where I am as well..this has been making it crazy hard to stay healthy! I get the sniffles every so often and I literally just got over a sinus infection. smh

I woke up this morning and there is SNOW outside?!?!?

It's very little snow but I need Arkansas NOT to snow right now! Usually, where I live,Southeast Arkansas, we hardly get the crappy end of snow,Little Rock will get a lot most of the time. This is 1 hrs. and 15 min. away from me so I'm praying that the weather will remain in check so I don't have to move my surgery day and cut my recovery time down. :oP That would really suck... I'll just pray about it. That's all I can do!

I've prepared for my day.. I have everything I need. Whatever I don't have it will be no biggie to get it. I have my hubby and mother to be for me as long as I need them so I am truly blessed in that department.

• ___ Pajamas, robe, or oversized, comfortable shirts that button in the front

• ___ Slippers or socks (with grip on the soles)

• ___ Hand mirror

• ___ Small flashlight for late night bathroom trips if you cannot get to the light switch easily. Sometimes

pain medications can also cause confusion upon awaking, and you don't want to walk into a wall.

• ___ Nightlight, if you want to avoid the above and are able to sleep with a little light, a low level

nightlight may be better than having to fumble for, and hold, a flashlight.

¸¸.•´°¤ I am now nesting...getting...

12 Dec 2011

2 days pre

¸¸.•´°¤ I am now nesting...getting everything cleaned and prepared so I will have no last minute "uhoh's"....! Just running all over the place like a chicken with it's head cut off!

K,..

Another thing I keep doing is lifting and tugging on my doggone stomach flap. Tryna get an idea of how much will be gone or what I could possibly look like..? There really isn't a way to achieve an idea! I can't hold up my boobs, push in my "back boobs" and pull up my stomach flap all at one time...LOL! I'm just not that skillful..! S**t!

Well,..

It will be so nice to have to soon retire those girdles... well, not necessarily but it WILL be nice to not have to depend on them anymore!

So,...

I feel like I'm preparing for a baby!!!!! Today was my very last final for school (thank you lord) and now my nerves are purely on the surgery!

I 've had moments where I am like,"OMG,no frikken way...I am not doing this."

But I know for a fact that the Lord didn't provide this opportunity for no reason at all.

2011 has been a really blessed year for me and I know this is one of those blessing that he has issued me. And I am gonna take it and trust in him. I've completely given my worries unto him because I know he will do it the way he will see fit...he is my ultimate support! I'm good! You good! We all good! xxxx

-Boogz ¸¸.•´°¤

¸¸.•´°¤ OMG.... I made it! Last night was a...

15 Dec 2011

1 day post

¸¸.•´°¤ OMG.... I made it! Last night was a long night.. I will give more details when I'm not so high...

OAN: I got thank my girl "Waiting to exhale".. you have been an awesome cheerleader and friend! Thank you,ma! O_o ¸¸.•´°¤

¸¸.•´°¤ OMG. So I can finally come and...

18 Dec 2011

4 days post

¸¸.•´°¤ OMG. So I can finally come and update. Hopefully it will all make sense and I will spell everything correctly...LOL!

The day of surgery I was pretty much cool... I was excited but a little nervous of what my outcome would be. After you plan for something like this you get to the point where you are plain ready to get it over with and start recovering..

My surgery was on Wednesday at 12:00pm,however,they ended up sending me in to surgery early.I was happy about that. My doc did his drawings on me and I was giving a sedative and next thing I know I was knocked out and in the recovering room!

I was told that my PS removed 8pds. of fat from my body!! I was like,MUTHERFUCKER!!! I just went into labor basically!?!?

Anyway,I was in pain! They gave me all kinda goodies to get my pain level down. I was at a 9 when I woke up and left the Outpatient facility at a 5. :o(

Oh my lordy...road bumps and all that jazz was the worst! The hubby called my doc. and asked if I could take more meds for pain and he gave me the okay to take two lortab and continued to take one every four hours.

I ended up staying at a hospital near the surgery center I went to instead of having to cough up $1000 to stay over in the hospital.

The first night I slept on and off.. I dreaded going to the bathroom...! ERRRRRMIGOTTT!!!! The amount of endurance you need to just take a simple pee is BANANAZ!!!

Honestly, the first couple of days has been somewhat of a blur because I have been so doped up.I have to keep it real. I was able to text message and that was it. I sleep with at least eight pillows at night!

I do recall a itch!!! Its a terrible itch that you cant even scratch. Its all around you stomach and your sides...mostly anywhere you had some surgery done. I used a hydroxypam and it served me well to treat the anxiety of the itching while reducing itch.

I'm moving lots better today. I can walk for a good while..however my belly button feels like it wants to burst at times. LOL My appetite is amazing.. idk. I feel pretty darn good. Can't wait to get these drains removed on Tuesday and these darn stitches taken out!! So far I am happy with what Dr. Spann was able to achieve!

¸¸.•´°¤ SO,..the swelling is annoying!! I...

27 Dec 2011

13 days post

¸¸.•´°¤ SO,..the swelling is annoying!! I wake up in the morning and everything seems to be somewhat fine.. then comes the evening time and my stomach and back boobs are enormous. smh

I have actually noticed that other parts of my body is reacting to the trauma of the surgery as well. I got the panniculectomy and the lipo in the bra line,however, I am swollen in my inner thighs,boobs,arms,face,..you name it! I've noticed it coming on since 10 days post-op to be exact. I look like I've eaten 3500 calories everyday since surgery..LOL! I like to get some kind of exercise and the fact that I cannot get any right now has my mind acting a complete ass!!

I've been so tired of looking all crappy in house clothes so I tried to make an effort to look somewhat presentable for the sake of self-esteem but S**T!!! I can't fit anything I own! I'm like the Michelin Man! Plastic Surgery is not designed for pussys!!

I have yet to find anyone mention the depression you experience after surgery. Yes,..yes..you will have a bit of depression. I think it is a combination of coming off all the drugs (or on the drugs) and being helpless & homebound.

...you feel like you are on house arrest. LOL

You have to practice patience right away...even pre-op. The results are a process just as if you are trying to shed pounds with a diet. I think of the swelling as "the last sha-bang" of being fat before you blossom into the swan you are seeking to be.

So,...I will wait....patiently. I am aware that my surgery is still fresh and new so I will behave myself.
-Boogz ¸¸.•´°¤

¸¸.•´°¤SO,..
I am over a month Post-Op...

20 Jan 2012

1 month post

¸¸.•´°¤SO,..

I am over a month Post-Op and I feel really good! Over the past couple of weeks I've had nothing serious happen. The most that I can complain of it my incision opened up a little bit in two areas....

This happened maybe two and a half weeks in..? (opening of the incision). I don't smoke or anything so it didn't happen because of that. To my understanding this is completely normal. Before I could reach my doctor about my concerns, I searched the internet for images to compare,but honestly as a women of color,we don't have much examples to play around with.
For example, dead skin or tissue turns pink in color for us and has to return back to natural color with time. I Didn't know that. LOL I heard something about that in regards to breast surgery pertaining to our nipples.. O_o
Anyway,when my incision got a tad bit infected it began lose color,turn bright pink and inflamed with holes about 1 inch. wide.

To care for these holes I used Neosporin and gauze. That is until I discover Band-Aids with Antibiotic ointment already on the padding inside. They are waterproof and made it easy to care for the small holes. I just cleaned my openings with Dial "Yellow Soap" let them dry and stuck the band aids on them and changed them as needed.
I recommend this if yours are not off the chain... you will have to go a different route if you have major separation.

Obviously my drain has BEEN gone,but I thought I'd share something. My tubing on my drain had a hole in it so I couldn't milk it anymore. Don't freak out If this happens to you! Go grab a product called Tagaderm. You can find it at a Walgreen in the Pharmacy section.
This is film that you can patch the hole with. I went nuts when I found my hole because I was SOOOOO not ready to be done with my drain. Luckily, my whole was near the bulb and I was "okayed" to cut it with disinfected scissors and pop it back on top of the bulb.

Moral of the story, there's options so don't be a nervous wreck like I was! LOL

Other than that I don't have much else to share.I didn't have Muscle Repair so my recovery time was relatively shorter than that of a Full Tummy Tuck.I'm happy about that! (^_^)

NOW,....

How about how my clothes fit? Uh, YEAH!! I look amazing with clothes on. The ability to just wake up and put something on with no hassle is priceless..! There have been countless times that I have declined invites for many things just because I didnt want to fight with myself about what to fuckin' wear! You know what I mean? Ugh,...! Not to mention how many pictures of precious moments I didnt want to be a part of because I didnt want to look at my pictures and say,
" Damn,you are big a a house!" LOL

That's so terrible but it is so honest.

A lot of people couldn't even really tell I got the surgery done! til Tuesday!
I had a classmate say..
" OMG, your boobies are SO out there nowadays!! What the hell is going on??"
HAHA
I wanted to say...
" Well bitch, that's because I had 8pds. of stomach as big as my dang titties before Christmas break..."

I'm so rude. ;)

Well she aint that close to me for me to be tellin' her my business..so I just smiled.
I normally wear scrubs to class and my instructor let us wear our regular clothes that day. Now that my stomach is flat and my body has some kind of shape,my girls are over the top huge so everything I wear looks like I am a porn star. LOL I LOVE IT!

¸¸.•´°¤ Dr. Spann is the s**t.I chose him because I truly valued his opinion and felt he was up to date in all techniques used nowadays. He has the most awesome personality! I will be going back to see him in a few months to do my breasts. I dig him because he aint old fashion,he's very likeable, and and knows his s**t!You will like him too...! ¸¸.•´°¤